introduce myself

[joshue]

my name is jo shuemaker. i just joined hearpeers. I was implanted in my right ear on 2/06/2015. I am going into my 6th month and still struggling. My hearing loss is hereditary.  my father , my Mother's Father and brother all had hearing loss.  i hear a reverberation when people talk to me . it is annoying My audiologist has been trying for months to get rid of it. i read aloud, i play music, i listen to books on tape and do exercises on the computer from Med |El.  i have the nucleus 6 system and a hearing aid in my left ear.  I can't understand people sitting right beside me sometimes.  My audiologist says don't be discouraged, it takes time. Everybody is different.  Does anyone else have the same problem?

[Lenny]

Hi Jo. I was implanted (right ear also) in May so have only been going for 2 months. I do get a reverberation but mainly on the higher pitched sounds, almost like I am inside a tin can. At my last appointment, my audiologist turned down electrodes 11 & 12 and this has made quite a difference to the sound. I still cannot understand what people are saying, but it is a lot more comfortable.

 

Because my left ear is still quite good, I find using the direct audio cable is the only way for me to practice properly and I slowly starting to understand words using the iAngel and AB Clix app on my iPad. Do you remove your left ear hearing aid when practising? I sometimes wish I could block my good left ear to encourage my right ear to learn quicker. 

 

At the moment, I am just happy to hear sounds through both ears again. Running water, crinkling paper, background traffic noise etc. I have also been advised that it will take time to learn to understand speech, and have heard encouraging stories that give me hope of eventually reaching a stage where I won't even notice there is a difference. But from everything I have read and heard, I do believe it will take a lot of practice and an even greater amount of patience. 

[Mary Beth]

Hi Jo,

Everyone's journey is different. I was implanted with MedEl on February 11, 2015 right ear. That ear had not heard anything for 24 years. It had heard prior to that. My left ear has a progressive severe to profound loss. At first all I heard was static, buzzing and beeps. I began training with Clix app right away. During the first week I started to understand a bit of speech. Things improved quickly week by week. Now I am at 4 months post activation and I can understand podcasts, phone calls, audiobooks, etc.

The timing is not as important as continuing to make progress.

Have you tried the Clix app yet? It starts with recognizing if a word has 1-4 parts and slowly moves up from there.

Mary Beth

[iskabibble]

Hi,

Iska here , wondering about the MEDEL.

DEC 22ND is the date for my implant , and to say the least I am so excited, confused and of course

so very very appreciative that there is an answer to being in such isolation .

 

I see that there are many questions and thankfully many answers , hoping that this forum will help to

keep me informed .

 

Ok we have outpatient , go home the same day , then what ? have not had preop info yet so since I

my companion is only a Westie I am wondering if any of you needed someone to be with at home.

What to expect with the week .My left ear has gone down to 31%and is assisted with a hearing aid

but will eventaully be a bilateral implants.Have lost all hearing in the right ear.

Thanks for any information you can assit me with.

[Mary Beth]

Hi and welcome to the group.

Your CI team should be giving you information about what to expect during surgery, during recovery from surgery and at activation later on. Different centers follow slightly different protocols so it would be best to contact them directly.

Generally, it's outpatient and they want someone with you for a period of time due to the anesthesia. It's also helpful in case you experience any balance issues.

I was lucky and had no complications with either surgery. I managed pain with extra strength Tylenol and never took the optional pain meds. I have a spouse so I was not alone at home. I was back to work in one week. Restrictions continued until 6 weeks for lifting, sneezing, flying etc but again your team may have slightly different rules.

Activation was about one month later. Centers vary greatly in how they schedule mappings after the initial activation.

It's a wonderful journey. Welcome and I wish you the best.

Mary Beth

[Sandy]

Hi Iska,

Welcome to Hearpeers. We are here to support and someone will always answer your questions. I was lucky too and had no difficulties after surgery. I had to have someone stay the first night and the same restrictions as Mary Beth except I was allowed to fly the day after surgery. All the best with your surgery and please keep us informed.

Sandy

[iskabibble]

Well thank Sandy and Mary Beth , how kind of you to reply .

      As it gets closer of course I am having mixed emotions , such Joy

      to know that there is a resource ,yet some aniexty as well.

 

     Basically , two people have been trying to talk me out of MEDEL , because they have another kind and it has caused me some

     confusion to say the least .However , I really think from the presentation that it is the best of the three offered.

[Kara of Canada]

HI iska!! Welcome. All the people here have been so helpful to me. I had my surgery a month ago today! Was activated on Tuesday this week. So far so good! Basically after surgery you can't be alone for 24 hours as the anesthesia can make you extra sleepy which could cause you to be slightly disoriented with balance and dizziness. I didn't have this but its a rule of thumb to be safe. I had the same restrictions as Mary Beth no sneezing or no lifting for a month i was pretty much better in two weeks.

[Sandy]

Hi Iska, I think after reading the different forums here, that the choice of CI that you make is a personal one and you are the one who will know what best serves your needs. I had no choice with the type I received as Medel was the choice used by the hospital I attended (lucky me!) and the ENT I saw in my home town was not very forthcoming with information. That being said, I am extremely happy with my Rondo and the journey has led me to hearing so many sounds that I've never heard before: wind in the trees, birds singing, babies fussing and crying, whole conversations, to name a few! You will be amazed, but remember, it will take the 3 Ps - patience, practice and perseverance both by you and family and friends.

Sandy

[Adam]

Jo, I know it can be frustrating at times during the first year. I had some of those times. People usually finally settle down and start making gains.

Most everyone here has a Medel CI or a version of it so it might be hard comparing apples to apples when you are dealing with a different company. That being said, we are all in this hearing journey together regardless of what company you choose. We would love for you to stick around so we can get to know you. Any implant specific questions you have about the nuc 6 would be tough for everyone to answer. We are very good at lending a sympathetic ear as well as encouragement. Please stick around. We would love to get to know you better

[Adam]

Hi Iska

Welcome to hearpeers!

It's too bad your Westie can't cook dinner for you

I was off my feet for a few days. My surgery was on Thursday. By Monday I started getting my legs under me, so to speak. Each person is a little different on how they react physically and emotionally to surgery. It probably wouldn't be a bad idea to have a friend stay with or check on you for the first couple of days. Be sure to take your pain meds as it is easier to stay ahead of the pain than to try and catch up. As you get closer, your doctor will give you more info on the surgery and the days that follow. Like I said, most people are a little different in how they react but I would say on avg. you can switch to over the counter pain meds after a few days. Just be sure that you take it easy and try not to stand up to quickly or turn quickly as this might make you a little dizzy. Your doctor and Audi know your hearing history and medical history the best so be sure to listen to what they have to say. I know this is a very exciting time for you and all of your bionic buddies are rooting for you and can't wait to hear how things are going. Be sure to ask as many questions as you can. If I may ask, where are you from? Do you have plans to go bilateral ( get both ears implanted)?

Adam

[Ivana Marinac]

Well thank Sandy and Mary Beth , how kind of you to reply .

As it gets closer of course I am having mixed emotions , such Joy

to know that there is a resource ,yet some aniexty as well.

Basically , two people have been trying to talk me out of MEDEL , because they have another kind and it has caused me some

confusion to say the least .However , I really think from the presentation that it is the best of the three offered.

Hello - I would just like to fulfill my buddies here.

Those who tried you to talk out of MED -EL - have they tried it? No, because you can't just change companies like TV's. Also, CI is hearing implant but final results depends on each one individual not their implant. Training the brain after the implantation is the key of success not technical details. If you can hear a whispear with MED-EL, is it important that AB technically has more electrode combinations?

Well - not really, hearing of a whispear depends if you.

[Mary Beth]

Hello again,

Choosing which brand of CI was overwhelming. In the end, I chose MedEl due to the range of electrode array options for the surgeon. Other people have chosen MedEl for different reasons (length of active electrode array, no recalls, customer service...). I know people who have done well with all three US approved CI companies. I only have personal experience with MedEl. MedEl has been terrific! I am thrilled with my decision. In the end, a lot depends on you. All CIs require our brains to decipher the new signals. How you approach learning to listen with your new CI will impact how you function with it.

My recommendation to you is to make the decision that you think is best. Then stick with it and feel confident that your decision is the right one for you.

It's a wonderful journey but the beginning stages can be overwhelming. Feel free to ask any questions you have. Chances are we have had the same questions on our own journeys too.

Mary Beth

[lms5260]

Hello my name is Linda and I am a new cochlear implant peer 10/14/15 surgery and activation 11/10/15 with 4 mappings thus far. I am in initial stages of rehab and practicing word drills and retraining my brain. I have the Sonnet and the Rondo as well as the new Synchrony.  I have had a bit of a rough road with my dissolvable stitches but now am good and home free as they say medically. Frustration has settled in a bit due to the fact that I experienced much success initinally and now having problems with certain vowels and consonants reducing my ability to understand so I guesss this goes with the territory. I am doing the exercises online and following the rehab therapist's instructions as we only met once and will not meet again until Feb. Does anyone have any ideas or suggestions on how to improve or has this happened to you??  also I live in Northeast Pennsylvania and am looking for an auditory verbal therapist for one on one therapy once weekly to reinforce as per my Rehab therapists recommendations and have ot been successful in finding one. 

Thanks 

[Mary Beth]

Hi Linda,

Welcome! Advances in speech understanding and momentary setbacks are common in the beginning stages. Our auditory nerve responds to the signal and then get used to it. That's why we have so many programs to work through in the beginning. Try not to get too discouraged.

I was implanted in February and then again in October.

I liked using ABCLIX and iAngel Sounds for practice.

Welcome !

Mary Beth

[Kara of Canada]

Hi Linda. I was implanted in November this year. In my right ear. I like using AB Clix. I can't understand angel sounds at all. The low voice tone doesn't work for me. I also use read along children's books through my local library to save in cost. Islam started using set tech matrices through Med El. They were tricky. I have an issue with patience as well!! So try to hang in there! I have heard from some that it can take quite a while for things to level out. So hang in there. Let us know how things go. Maybe google it and see what you find. Good luck!! Kara

[hadron]

Hi Linda,

Go to the Pennsylvania Hearing Loss of America (HLA) organizations website and you will find a lot of info there.

http://www.hla-pa.org/pashhh/profile/organs.html#psha

The president of this HLA organization is the first contact shown and she is a certified AVT. You can call or email her and hopefully she can direct you to a great AVT in your area.

Considering getting involved with your local HLA chapter. The cochlear implant journey will always be challenging but going through it with other people whom are hearing impaired will make it more enjoyable and satisfying.

Good luck.